The present invention relates to reducing or eliminating foaming in a liquid containing container, particularly where the liquid is removed from the container. In particular, the present invention relates to a reagent supply or pack for use on an automated analyzer, which reduces or eliminates foaming.
Known diagnostic analyzers include immunodiagnostic and clinical chemistry analyzers such as the Vitros® ECi immunodiagnostic analyzer, sold by Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. These types of analyzers include a source of reagents for carrying out various tests. Most often, the reagents are stored in containers having removable closures in which a metering probe can be inserted to aspirate a reagent in the container. For example, a reagent pack container as shown in FIG. 1 is used on the Vitros® ECi immunodiagnostic analyzer, sold by Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. In the containers, such as those shown in FIG. 1, a Surlyn® seal is at the top of the container to prevent leakage of the reagents. The seal is generally broken before first use.
In the known containers, foam occurs in reagents during shipment and handling. In many known metering systems, foaming is mitigated by aspirating from the bottom of the liquid using a non-disposable washed reagent metering probe. However, aspirating from the bottom of the container can cause increased metering imprecision. In addition, while the small diameter and geometry of the non-disposable reagent metering probe (also known as a proboscis) enables aspiration from the bottom of the reagent pack, the trend in modern analyzers is to use a disposable tip which makes it much more difficult to aspirate from the bottom of the reagent container because of the size of the tip and the need to minimize the wetted depth of the tip. Since the tip cannot be inserted very far into the liquid, there is the significant possibility that the metering probe will aspirate foam instead of pure reagent liquid.
Known containers for controlling evaporation include those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0223914 A1.
None of the known art described above, adequately addresses resolving the problems described above, in particular, preventing or reducing the aspiration of foam into a metering probe. For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a container that can reduce or eliminate the formation of foam, at least in the area where liquid is aspirated by a metering probe.